Here's a scenario. I live somewhere in Leeds and am travelling up from London (or indeed any distance away). I know that Northern are having problems running the advertised service. So, instead of buying a London-Leeds ticket I buy London-Headingley for the same price or thereabouts. I may not live in Headingley, or I may normally catch the bus home, but this is what I do. I now have a nice itinerary which shows my connection at Leeds.
And, oh joy, the connection doesn't run. So I claim Delay Repay for my whole journey from London to Headingley even though the actual delayed bit was just the last three miles or so which I have no intention of doing anyway. Any problem with this?
I suppose someone might say I need to have shown that I actually caught the first train possible to Headingley (although of course even people who genuinely wanted to go to Headingley may well have given up and caught the bus instead). Fair enough, I'll potter around Leeds centre a bit, catch whatever train Northern manage to provide to Headingley and then walk or get a bus to where I actually want to go. Well worth it for what I can claim, and no loss if Northern do actually come up with the connection.
This would of course apply to large numbers of towns with a short-journey Northern connection at the main line station.
And, oh joy, the connection doesn't run. So I claim Delay Repay for my whole journey from London to Headingley even though the actual delayed bit was just the last three miles or so which I have no intention of doing anyway. Any problem with this?
I suppose someone might say I need to have shown that I actually caught the first train possible to Headingley (although of course even people who genuinely wanted to go to Headingley may well have given up and caught the bus instead). Fair enough, I'll potter around Leeds centre a bit, catch whatever train Northern manage to provide to Headingley and then walk or get a bus to where I actually want to go. Well worth it for what I can claim, and no loss if Northern do actually come up with the connection.
This would of course apply to large numbers of towns with a short-journey Northern connection at the main line station.